Former JNA General Đukić and Six Commanders Sentenced to 94 Years for War Crimes in Šibenik Hinterland
In a non-final verdict, the Split court found they commanded attacks on civilians, killing 118 and displacing thousands
In a non-final verdict, the Split court found they commanded attacks on civilians, killing 118 and displacing thousands
Split County Court on Tuesday, July 29, 2026, issued a non-final verdict sentencing retired JNA General Borislav Đukić and six other former Serbian forces commanders and Knin police officials to a total of 94 years in prison, reports Cronika.hr. The case concerns war crimes against civilians in the wider Šibenik area during the Homeland War.
According to the verdict, Đukić, Jovan Grubić, Milan Radić, and Petar Andrić each received 16-year sentences, while Vladimir Davidović, Ilija Prijić, and Slobodan Vujko each received 10 years. The proceedings against the eighth defendant, Dragan Harambašić, were terminated after his death.
The indictment, filed back in 2016, covers the period from August 1991 to August 1995 in the areas of Šibenik, Drniš, Vodice, Skradin, Promina, and Ružić, as well as surrounding settlements such as Otavice, Kljaci, and Čavoglave. As Cronika.hr reports, shelling and attacks killed 118 civilians, destroyed or severely damaged over 3,500 structures-including at least 20 Catholic churches-and forced nearly 14,000 non-Serb residents to flee.
There is a discrepancy in data regarding rapes: while Cronika reports that multiple women were raped without specifying a number, 24sata specifies that five women were raped and seven attempted rapes were recorded.
Presiding Judge Zoran Ivanišević, in explaining the verdict, stated that he did not believe Đukić's defense. Quoting his statement to Cronika, he said: "I did not find his defense credible because, among other things, he claimed that Šibenik was never shelled, which is a matter of public record. There is no dispute that he was the commander and that, along with the other three defendants, he issued direct orders to target civilian targets."
The court concluded that the four most severely sentenced defendants actively participated in the crimes, while the three others were convicted for failing to prevent and prosecute their subordinates.
Borislav Đukić is the only one among the convicted who is accessible to the Croatian judiciary; the others were tried in absentia. He was arrested in 2015 in Tivat, Montenegro, and extradited to Croatia. Although held in Split prison, he refused to attend the verdict announcement. He was also convicted in a separate case for the mining of the Peruća Dam: according to Cronika, the latest non-final 2024 verdict sentenced him to ten years in prison, while 24sata reports that verdict was passed last year (2025). The higher court will decide on the finality of that sentence in September 2026.
Đukić's attorney, Željko Ostoja, harshly criticized the proceedings after the verdict, telling Cronika that the standards of a fair trial were not met, that the court relied on witness statements not cross-examined by the defense, and that individual responsibility was not established. He announced an appeal after receiving the written ruling.
The verdict is non-final, and the defense has the right to appeal to a higher court.
